Abstract :
Extracts from the written conversation between research student and supervisor show the nature of educative research supervision. The authors argue that researcher–supervisor relationships are methodological in nature as they shape and influence the people, the project and the field. Such relationships, which construct meanings, are complex. A conversational approach, spoken or written, with its freedom, spaces and power dynamics, provides possibilities for reflexivity and growth for all parties. This conversational freedom is illustrated in the structure of this text, as a dialogue to which the voice of the UK editor of this journal is added, constructing another layer to the conversation. As in conversation, the form and content of the text is messy and open to interpretation, yet its construction reflects the argument presented in the text. Supervision as conversation replaces then subverts the managerialist approach to research supervision and its carefully planned, linear route to a dissertation.
